A sentence is provided in indirect speech. From the four given options, choose the one that most accurately conveys the sentence in its corresponding direct speech.
The coach said that the players were improving with each match.

Correct option is A

The correct indirect/ direct speech is (a) “The players are improving with each match,” said the coach.
Explain the right answer in detailed form: In indirect speech, the past form “were improving” often reflects backshift from direct speech present continuous (“are improving”) because the reporting verb is in the past (“said”). When converting back to direct speech, we commonly restore it to present continuous to match the sense of an ongoing improvement. Option (a) best conveys that continuing progress with each match.
Rules of conversion used (Indirect → Direct):
· If indirect has backshifted tense, restore to the original likely tense:
· were improving → are improving (ongoing action)
· Add quotation marks and reporting clause.
· Example: He said that she was working hard. → “She is working hard,” he said.
· Information booster / exceptions related to the topic:
· Option (b) is grammatically possible if the coach was speaking about a past period, but without extra time markers, exam-standard preference is to restore present in direct speech for general/continuing statements.